An
anthology dedicated to Melissa Lee, bringing together stories of
strong independent women by some of today’s favorite authors of the
indie community.

When
Melissa was diagnosed with cancer it shook our house to the core.
Within a matter of days we started asking how can we help. The answer
create an anthology dedicated to the strong woman that is our
Melissa. Each story as a set of rules. one the main character is
named Melissa. And her character must be strong. After that each
story comes from the hearts of our authors. This book is forever
dedicated to the teacher that touches the lives of the children that
she meet. The authors who’s lives have now been touched with
her soft touch and strong will. And for the member of our family who
we wish only the very best.

*All
proceeds will be benefitting Melissa Lee during this difficult time.
Our hearts & prayers are with her.

~*
A special thanks to YM Zachery for her endless dedication

Melissa’s
Menagerie by Lori
Hoopengardner

After the death of her parents, Melissa was
on her own to carry on her family’s secret. She was lonely, scared
and busy. That is until she found some people she could trust.
Friendships and more just seemed to happen.

The
Rainbow Truck by Jeremy
Simons

On the backroads of Louisiana, the unthinkable
happened to Melissa. A truck tried to run her off the road. She could
have let it go, but she was too proud for that. Besides, its color
intrigued her. Oh yeah, and the blood on the tailgate.

She
and Scott followed it to a secluded camp where their fortunes were
forever sealed. She had to fight. She had to stand on her own two
feet. She had to…survive.

But could it be that easy? Find out in
The Rainbow Truck.

Unbound
Wonder by Niki
Livingston

Melissa’s past doesn’t define her and she
refuses to allow her teenage trauma to hold her down. Believing in
herself when no one else did, she became an instant fame in the music
industry. And with the public eye on her, it wasn’t a surprise when
she attracted a male admirer who didn’t have her best interest at
heart. Another man who only craved to control and own her.

Now she
must face her fears, both known and unknown, in order to gain the
strength to battle the seemingly never-ending storm threatening her
very existence. Rising to face her foes is only the beginning to
taking back her power.

Lovelightby B. Tolentino

Blind
but never felt unwanted, Melissa Chaplin lives peacefully in New
Hampshire with her mother. Wanting to make progress in her life, she
decides to take a step forward by applying for a part-time job only
to be rejected as soon as she receives the phone call she was so
excited about. Suddenly, the bruising pain of frustration of being
visually impaired envelopes her, causing her to take a huge leap of
faith by agreeing to be a patient to a doctor from Germany she meets
for the first time.

Running
from Ghosts by Cam Johns

Not
telling the whole truth is the same as lying. It turns out,
withholding secrets is more dangerous than being honest with the one
you love. At least that’s what Melissa has come to realize. Now
being forced to face her deceptions head on as the ghosts of her past
come back to haunt her – threatening the life she has finally built –
Melissa has to find a way to confront her dishonesty without losing
the love of her life.

Onus
by Sonya Jesus

Oliver: In onus memoria. I had it engraved on his
tombstone so that when I went to visit, I could remember Ben died
because I failed to protect him. In my onus, I let guilt corrode
through any attempt at happiness. I let the blame overwhelm me
because I deserved to be punished… He died because I wasn’t
watching.

Melissaby Davina Purnell

Oliver’s
been coming to group sessions for a year and half now. I wish I could
say he’s slowly getting better, but he’s shown no progress and it
worries me. I don’t know how to break through to him or if he even
wants me to, but I care about him too much not to try.

Till
Death by Bella Emy

Happily
Ever After.

That’s what Mel thought she had found the day she met
Brad.

Now, married for years with their two children, Austin and
Brayden, Mel fears for their life. The man she once knew who had been
so loving, supporting and caring has turned into a drunk, alcoholic,
abusive husband and father, stopping at nothing to get his point
across.

Will Mel be able to overcome her dread of living huddled
up in a corner, fearing for her life and that of her sons, or will
Brad place his hands on her one last and final time?

Witch’s
Heart by Melanie
Rodriguez

Melissa is a sophomore at the prestigious Circe
Academy, a school that grooms only the finest of witches and
warlocks. She finds herself an outcast to most of her peers and
professors due to her half-human side. Wanting nothing more than to
be a fully-fledged witch, she enlists the help of the wily and
sarcastic spirit fox, Vic, who too has his own agenda. In order to
retrieve the lost half of magic that she needs to accomplish her
goal, Melissa must locate the human the old ritual demands she needs
and must steal their “heart.” When she realizes who that human
is, Melissa finds herself in a bind: does she complete her goal and
fulfill her pact with Vic or does she let the special human go and
continue to live her outcast life without the respect she deserves?

Choices
Made by Justina Luther

At
the age of 26 I, Melissa Leighton, thought I had my priorities right.
I worked hard, kept my eye on my goals, and loved my mom and twin
sister with all my heart. I broke my back to make us all proud and be
the first in my family to become a doctor. The funny thing about life
is, every choice we make changes something and the choices I made
threatened to change everything.

My
Shadow by Sheri Chapman

Melissa
is drawn to wrong side of the law. For now, she contents her intrigue
by pitting herself against the police. Through her own vices, she
must figure out crimes before they can. Not only does it inspire her
writing career, but it also gives her life an exciting edge. However,
Melissa is being watched. The innovative woman must determine if her
life in endanger before it’s too late…

From
the Ashes by Sarah Stein

How
far would you go to survive?

Melissa was the perfect child. She
never complained, did amazing in school and made her parents happy.
Or so she thought. Everything changed when she was told to pack her
bags, and leave with a man she’s never met. But all is not what it
seems as she has to fight not to lose herself in his custody.